Because he’s binged and purged more players then any other GM in Ranger history!

After today’s dealings, Sather has managed to purge the Rangers of every post lockout veteran except Henrik Lundqvist. While today’s signing of Ales Kotalik for 3 years at $3 million per year doesn’t exactly constitute a binge, Sather has most assuredly purged Nik Zherdev from next season’s roster. Frankly, I think Sather made the right decision. I have grown weary of having players on the Rangers who are oft described as “enigmatic”.

In an attempt to garner more players for John Tortorella’s run and gun scoring style of play, Sather has disassembled what was one of the best penalty killing units in the NHL. Gone are Sjostrom and Orr. With the signing of Brashear, one can only assume that free agent Blair Betts will not be made an offer to return. Now the question remains whether all the new additions to the Rangers can score enough goals on the powerplay to make up for what might be a much diminished penalty kill.

I suppose it makes life more interesting getting to know all the new boys, their styles of play, their personalities. I wonder if any other team has experienced such a total turnover of personal in the last four years. I remember being at the Nassau Mausoleum and phoning in the player numbers to the HockeyRodent so he could keep the fans informed about the 2005-2006 Rangers. Now, I’ll have to memorize a whole bunch of new numbers but this time I can text them to his Rodentness.

Let’s pretend today is the first day of the preseason. Who could we be seeing in September?

Ales Kotalik RW
Marian Gaborik RW
23 Chris Drury LW
Chris Higgins C
16 Sean Avery LW
Matthew Gilroy C
Donald Brashear LW
34 Aaron Voros LW
Artem Anisimov C
Nikolai Zherdev RW RFA*
29 Lauri Korpikoski LW RFA
17 Brandon Dubinsky C RFA
24 Ryan Callahan RW RFA*

6 Wade Redden D
3 Michal Rozsival D
5 Dan Girardi D
Bobby Sanguinetti D
Michael Sauer D
18 Marc Staal D

30 Lundqvist G
40 Valliquette G

Save for Chris Higgins, that’s a whole lot of right wings and centers and not many left wings. Dany Heatley is still out there but I doubt Sather has enough cap space to make that happen without unloading Rozsival and sacrificing youth. Sather has used restraint and held on to the youths. Let’s hope he can add more finesse to the top left and keep the kids, too.

Who knows how many more moves Sather will make before training camp opens?  At least it’s comforting to know that Sather isn’t in a river somewhere casting a line. He might finally be earning his keep.

There’s only one problem with moving on. Bad times have befallen the New York Rangers. Despite hanging on to second position in the Atlantic Division and fifth overall in the Conference, the team’s failure to score goals is eating away at their position in the standings.

It has also baited that  bloodthirsty segment of the fan base. When things haven’t gone according to the wishes of some impatient and petulant fans, their response is to call for trades or heads to roll.  Tom Renney’s head is at the top of their list. He’s been there since February of 2006. 

If you have been reading this blog for the last few years, you know that I respect and appreciate all Tom Renney has done for this franchise during his tenure. However, after watching last night’s poor showing, I am at a loss to explain why this team cannot score goals. When all is said and done, I still contend that it’s the players.

Somewhere and at some point in past games this season, they did something right.  Granted, the powerplay has never really worked. But every time this team takes one step forward, they take one or two back.  The last time the Rangers played a complete game, having the better of the play, was two weeks ago against the Ducks.

The Detroit Red Wings slumped in January. It was my fault. After I saw them play the Kings in LA, they went on a five game losing streak. That streak ended Monday with a 4-3 shoot out victory over St Louis. In a post game interview, Nik Lidstrom attributed the losing streak to Detroit’s failure to play tighter team defense.

How ironic. The Rangers lose because they cannot score and the Red Wings lose because the need to play better defensively. Not that I would deign to compare the Red Wings to the Rangers. They have the fire power. We have the goal tending.  

Whether a team wins by 2 goals or in a shoot out, two points is two points. It isn’t always going to be exciting, it isn’t always going to be pretty. Save for last night, the Rangers are pretty much beating the teams they should be beating this season.

 I will continue to save my rancor for those players who have been phoning in games. Redden, Gomez, Drury come immediately to mind. I hope that the right line combinations will be found and that something will click for this team, and their coaches.

Rangers January Record

 

 

 

What really ticks me off is that the Rangers allowed themselves to be embarrassed again by the Penguins, the lesser team. The Rangers played two decent periods and got blown out in the third for two reasons. Lundqvist’s head was still in Montreal and the Rangers failed to exact pounds of flesh from the Penguins on a night when Crosby was hurting. 

If my team is down 4-1 midway through the third period, I would be telling them to pound the snot out of Crosby, Malkin, Satan and Sykora at every opportunity. When you’re down by three goals, defense first doesn’t matter. Sometimes you’ve gotta just cut your losses and say WTF . They should have started running the opposition’s talent and made them pay every time they touched the puck.

I don’t want to hear any crap like the fluky goal by Sykora, tying the game at 1-1, took the wind out of the Rangers sails. That’s weak BS. The Rangers stopped skating and stopped hitting in the third period and that’s why they lost. Lundqvist had a bad third period. So what. It happens. How many games has he saved for them this season? It’s a team game.

The problem with this team is that they rely on Lundqvist too much. They did not take responsibility for the game individually or as a team. The  entire team let the Penguins walk all over them. I don’t want to hear that they were tired after playing Carolina last night. Carolina wasn’t hitting at all last night. Physically, the Carolina game was a walk in the park . The Rangers coasted to a 3-2 win in a lightly contested game. So, no one should play the “tired card”.

This game was a test of the intestinal fortitude of the Rangers and they failed miserably to a miserable team. How many more times this season will the Rangers let themselves be embarrassed like this?  For God sake, this team needs to man up and go down fighting. They had no edge in the third period tonight. No meanness. No snarl. No discernible passion.

Maybe they do need someone like Avery back to shake them up and get under their skin and the opposition’s skin.  After watching this debacle tonight, maybe they should just cut their loses, concede Saturday’s game in Boston and save themselves and everyone else the grief of seeing them get their butts kicked again.

All this said, I would rather watch the Rangers win a “boring” game then watch them get their asses handed to them by Cindy Crosby and Crue.

I got my hockey fix in LA before the cruise. We scored two tickets 15 rows behind the Kings goal at the Staple Center on January 15th. The tickets were $75 a piece. The Red Wings spanked the Kings 4-0 with grinders Maltby and Draper each scoring goals. Swedes Franzen and Samuelson potted the other two. Ty Conklin pitched the shut out. It was like a home game for Detroit. There seemed to be more Red Wings fans in attendance then Kings fans.

The Staple Center is a beautiful venue. We saw Pat Sajek sitting in the second row of our section. The cheap seats at the Staple Center are as nosebleed as those at the Belle Centre in Montreal. They make the blue seats at the Garden seem a bargain. If the planned renovations to Madison Square Garden render it even close to the amenities offered by the Staple Center, it will be worth the price.

In the time I was gone, the Rangers took six out of a possible 8 points. Not to shabby. I am just watching the games I missed. Except for the stinker in Pittsburgh, the boys played well. Nice to see Redden and Kalinin starting to turn it around a bit. The powerplay is looking better and Chris Drury is showing what has been missing for the last season and a half.

I picked up a copy of the NY Post yesterday at LAX and now I understand why Larry Brookes was gushing about the Rangers penalty kill (especially Betts and Sjostrom). Hasenfratz and Morton should be criminally prosecuted for the game they destroyed in Chicago with their atrocious officiating. Even Tom Renney, looking as dapper as ever in  that brown suit, was steaming and spouting off like one of the humpback whales I saw off Cabo San Lucas.

I can’t wait to show off  my tan to everyone in Section 409 on Tuesday. I just hope no one tries to harpoon me. I need to drop some of the gross tonnage I put on whilst at sea. Cruising is diet suicide.

The Rangers out hit, out faced off, out fought, out goaltended, out penalty killed, out powerplayed and out hustled the Penguins tonight. This was their best game of the season. And yet, I still am reading message boards with the vindictive, bitter ravings of a lunatic fringe out there who attribute this victory to some perceived notion that it was a “walk in the park” against the slumping Penguins.

Please. Although the Penguins may be slumping, they are still the Penguins, with CryBaby Crosby, Genie Malkin and MA Fleury and the refs of this league in their pocket. The geniuses on Versus attribute the decline of the Penguins to the loss of Sergei Gonchar. I think these guys are hitting the same bong their tech crew was hitting tonight that caused the HD feed to black out. Versus must be owned by Disney because it continues to prove itself to be a Mickey Mouse network.

The Rangers held the Penguins off the boards despite ice-tilting by the referees in what I would characterize as one of the most brutally called games all season. These refs were embarrassingly trying to turn the game around for the Poster Boy and his buddies. Weak calls on the Rangers and no call on the Penguins. Shameful. Great job by the Rangers to kill all those penalties. Despite the bogus calls on the Rangers, Renney remained his usual controlled self. Those who want Renney gone would prefer to see a hot head like Tortorella behind the bench throwing folding chairs and cursing.

All of this aside, the biggest question one must ask oneself is, Why don’t the Rangers play like this all the time? They had 2 powerplay goals on 8 opportunities. (25%). They won 100% of their face offs, 8 for 8, on the powerplay. They even had a shorthanded goal when they were down 6 on 4. Does that Shorthanded goal expunge 2 of the 12 shorthanded goals previously scored against them. It damn well should.

Looks like every player bought into the “system” and that the “system” worked tonight. How is that? I thought this coach had lost this team. I though that this team had turned Renney off, that they weren’t buying in to his game plan. Did every single Ranger on the ice somehow have an epiphany tonight? Was every single Ranger suddenly blinded by the light like St. Paul on the road to Damascus?

Why can’t the Rangers play like this all the time? I am not saying that the coaching staff is perfect, far from it. But when the players execute the game plan, they win. When one sees a complete turn around like tonight, it clearly demonstrates that winning and losing is in the hands of the players themselves. The coaches and training staff can do their best to ensure the team has every advantage. But, at the end of the day, it’s up to the players  to play like they know they can and they will win.

I’ll shut up now and savor the two points. I encourage everyone to do the same.

Let’s Go Rangers

Last night I was a guest on the New York Hockey Talk Radio Program.  Have a listen here:

http://www.nyhockeytalk.com/

Download here:

http://sportsradiony.hipcast.com/download/0f1ec7a3-3c02-f498-94d1-cbe23ce13609.mp3

He also went on to say he felt the rivalry between Islander and Ranger fans is unique in the league. He found the originality and vociferousness of the Ranger fans very amusing. He cited the famous game at the Coliseum when the Islanders introduced the Gorton’s Fisherman jersey back in the 80’s. He was playing for the Rangers then. The Ranger fans in attendance started the “We want Fishsticks” chant. He didn’t go into the “Potvin Sucks” or “Beat your wife Potvin” stories. That would have been unsuitable for the young viewers in the audience.

In this day and age, high scoring games like last night’s are few and far between. The Islanders are a better team then their record suggests. Right now, regardless of their first place standing, the New York media and some fans would have you believe that the Rangers are a worse team then their record suggests. While I won’t deny that the Rangers are still abysmal on the powerplay, 0 for 5 last night, they managed to score 5 goals and not give up any powerplay goals or any shorthanded ones. That’s definitely an improvement over their last three games.

This match ran the gamut for a hockey game, short of a penalty shot. We saw the return of Petr Prucha who scored a nifty goal and played his usual high energy game. When his goal was announced and assists were given to Dubinsky and Redden, the crowd chanted Proooooo for Prucha, Doooooo for Dubinsky and Boooooo for Redden. The Garden crowd gets an A for originality. Both Colton Orr and Nigel Dawes won their respective fights. I give Orr a lot of credit. Mitch Fritz is a behemoth with a far greater reach then Orr. Orr made chop meat of Fritz’s face. Ah but a hockeyfighter’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s an enforcer for. Callahan made a highlight reel hit on Trent Hunter that Hunter won’t soon forget. Fewer pansies on the Rangers in this game.

I am really starting to feel sorry for Kalinin. He falls down, takes Drury out of the play and the puck is coughed up to two lone Islanders for an easy goal. Sather better send this guy down to Hartford before a lynch mob forms on Seventh Avenue. As bad as Kalinin has played, I think Redden deserves the derision of the Garden faithful more then Kalinin. Redden better clean up his act and start busting his butt or he’ll really be the target of the Boo-Birds. It’s already starting.

Lastly, King Henrik certainly is in the December Doldrums. He has allowed an un-Kingly 13 goals in the last three games. Last night he let in 4 goals on 24 shots. He should have had the third goal last night. Notwithstanding the Rangers swiss cheese defense and that atrocious powerplay, Henrik needs to be the best he can be. Seems long layoffs are not good for him. I don’t know if it’s something physical, knees maybe. He just doesn’t seem to be tracking the puck as well as usual.

The Rangers won last night but not before a seat of your pants finish with the game in jeopardy to the final buzzer. Okay, it was against the Islanders, the team with the worst record in the league. But like the astute Versus commentator Bill Berg pointed out, anything can happen during a Ranger/Islander game. This time the Rangers came out with the two points.

The crowd walked out of the Garden smiling and, dare I say, sufficiently entertained.

Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colours from our sight.
Red is grey and yellow white,
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?

When I got up to Section 409 tonight, I encouraged some of the Faithful to take a deep, cleansing breath and let it out. I went on to suggest that everyone should put the prior night’s fiasco behind us and to view tonight’s game with a positive attitude. I had no idea that it would actually work.

The Rangers won in a shoot out but not before letting Carolina come back to tie the game twice.  I thought Blair Betts shorthanded goal would have stood up as the game winner but the Rangers couldn’t get another goal on the powerplay or any other way.

After Friday’s track meet in New Jersey, the Rangers taking this game  to the shoot out was indeed miraculous, especially when you consider that the Rangers shut down Carolina’s powerplay.  By the time the two minute five on three was over, Blair Betts could barely skate off the ice.

But, the Rangers stayed in the game and won it in a shoot out. Another two points are in the win column. They didn’t dominate the weaker team. There was no run and gun. No fancy plays. Just fundamental and defensive hockey. It wasn’t exciting but a win is a win. Take it and move on.

The Rangers leave home on a high note for the Western road trip. Let’s hope they treat all these road games like playoff games.

Could someone please tell me why Tom Renney didn’t call time out when he had 1:28 seconds of powerplay time at 18:32 of the final frame? What is he doing, saving time outs to trade for Green Stamps?

Some fans are wholeheartedly in favor of bringing back Brendan. They feel Shanny brings experience, skill and the leadership needed to move past the second round of the playoffs. They attribute Shanny’s lack of production in the second half of last season and in the playoffs to injury. When healthy last season Brendan did score 23 goals. With Jagr and Straka gone, Shanny’s goal scoring capability takes on more importance.

Others, considering Brendan’s age and slowness, are dead set against Shanny taking a roster spot away from up and coming youngsters like Prucha and Korpikoski at left wing. They feel there is no place for the future first ballot Hall of Famer on the Rangers anymore.  They want to move on with the youth movement and leave the leading to Drury, Gomez or Redden.

Where and how Tom Renney deploys Brendan is the key to Shanahan’s success. If Shanny is lightly used for the lionshare of the regular season, he should have something left for the playoff run and beyond. “If” he is lightly used. “If”. If Shanny is going to play, it shouldn’t be on the checking line with Betts and Orr. He’d be fried by November. If Renney reserves Shanny for the powerplay and shootouts and gives him the occasional game off, he’ll be in better shape and more effective in March.

There is a little wiggle room on the left side if the Rangers go with six defenseman. They look much more solid on D then last season so it’s possible they’ll go with six. They are overloaded at center and right wing. Gomez, Drury and Dubinsky are basically a lock at center. Betts is fighting with Anisimov and Fritsche for fourth spot. We may not see either Anisimov or Fritsche season. They’ll be headed to Hartford. That’s too bad. Anisimov looked so good in preseason last year. On the right side, Parenteau and Jamtin will probably stay in Hartford, leaving Moore and Orr to fight for the fourth spot.

Naslund Gomez Zherdev
Prucha Dubinsky Callahan
Shanahan Drury Sjostrom
Dawes Betts Orr

Orr and Sjostrom will have to stay up or clear waivers to come back. Of all the other forwards looking for the last spot, I would say Korpedo and Anisimov have the best shot. Korpikowski or Dawes can replace Shanny on third line and can be flipped with each other on the fourth line. Betts is really going to have to fight for his job. He is a good defensive fourth line center for face offs and penalty kill. Anisimov is a much more skilled player who can bring scoring to the fourth line. The question is, how is Anisimov defensively? Will he be as good as Blair on face offs? Will he block shots? I have no doubt of Artem’s desire but his effectiveness as a fourth line grinder and checker is what counts.

So, I’ve drawn my lines. Now let’s see how close I’ve come come October.